My second FFIX fanfic…and it's just as short as the last one. ; Wanted to write one on a minor character from the game, so I settled for Erin, Regent Cid's pilot. This is set when she was young however.
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"Erin, where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?"
The young girl skidded to a sudden halt on the cobbled path and grinned mischievously at her mother, who was standing in the front porch of their mansion – her hands planted firmly on her hips. The six-year-old had managed to sneak back into the large grounds of the estate undetected, but hopes of further success had been destroyed by the presence of her mother, who had been surveying the area like a dangerous bird of prey. She was dressed up in nice clothes, so Erin guessed they were going to be going out again.
"And look at all the grass stains on your clothes!" her mother added as she stalked down the path towards the young girl. Erin glanced down at the smock she was wearing to make sure her mom was telling the truth, and shrugged ruefully.
"I was just playing," she protested, wincing as her mother's slender hands ran their way through her knotted bob of brown hair. "That hurts," she wailed, and tried to squirm free from her grasp.
Her mother paused and studied Erin for a few seconds before sighing. "Oh Erin," she said wearily, scooping the young girl up into her arms. "What am I going to do with you?"
Erin snuggled closer into the embrace and inhaled deeply. Her mother was wearing that nice perfume again; the one she had helped her dad choose for her.
"I'm sorry mommy," she replied, sensing that she should say something. "I lost track of the time."
Her mother smiled at that, and her blue eyes flashed as the met Erin's. "Let me guess – Winnel hill, right?"
Erin giggled and nodded. Her mother was really clever at guessing things like that. "Yeah!" she conceded. "We saw the airships pass by again!"
Her mother set Erin down on the floor and tucked away a loose wisp of hair behind the small girl's ear. "Oh really?"
"Uh-huh," Erin jumped up in the air, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. "There were three of them today – and they were so big!" The young girl paused for a second to stare wistfully up at the clear blue sky. "It must be really great to fly."
"Ooh, do you think?" Erin's mother crouched down, a look of exaggerated fear on her face. "Wouldn't it be scary to be that high up?"
"No way." Erin shook her head fiercely. "It'd be the greatest thing ever, mom." She closed her eyes and sighed. "To feel the wind in my hair, go to faraway places and…and fly above the clouds. That'd be amazing."
Her mother gently wiped away a speck of mud from Erin's cheek and smiled fondly. "If that's want you want to do dear then work hard for it and you'll succeed. I know you will."
"I will!" Erin looked back up at the sky again and smiled. "I'm gonna be the greatest pilot in the world someday."
"Of course you will," her mother replied, and gently ruffled the young girl's hair. "But first you're going to be a clean young lady for your mother, remember? We're all going to the opera tonight."
"…Yes, mommy."
Opera. Erin stifled a sigh at the word, and glanced dubiously over her mother's shoulder at Valha, the scary head nanny – who was already equipped with the numerous items required for bath time. She hated having to take a bath, and opera was so boring – but her mother had given her that really pretty smile when she had asked, so, with the memory of the airships still fresh in her head, Erin nodded and obediently stepped inside.
